Safety attachment for stop watches



H. E. VQN KERSBURG SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR STOP WATCHES Filed May 18 1923 Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY E. VON KERSBUIRG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO R. H. MACY & (30., INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR STU? WATCHES.

Application filed May 18, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY E. Von Knes- BURG, citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Stop atches, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to stop watches and consists in the combinations and arrangements of elements hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the accompanying claims.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a safety attachment for a stop watch which will elfectively prevent the accidental zeroizing or resetting thereof, and which in applied position will in no way hinder the normal working of the time piece, nor in any manner interfere with the handling thereof by the time-keeper.

In the game of football a record must be kept of the actual time that the ball is in play, and this is done by a stop watch. hen the ball is out of play the watch is stopped, and when play is resumed the watch is started, and the length of time the game has progressed is thereby indicated. Both the minute and the second hands of the watch are restored to zero by pressing down the stem-winder.

It is frequently necessary for a field judge, in order to closely watch the different plays, to be in the center of a mix-up. He holds the stop watch in the palm of his hand ready to stop and start it as plays are ceased and resumed. In doing this he is often ostled and it frequently happens that the stem-winder of the watch is struck with sufficient force to set both the second and minute hands to zero, thereby losing all record of the duration of the game. This has happened so often that it has been proposed by certain well known football authorities to appoint an additional man, to stand outside the playing field with a stop watch and keep time and check the watch of the [ield judge.

To avoid these difficulties the present invention contemplates the employment of a safety device to be attached to a stop watch which will preventthe accidental resetting of the second and minute hands, but

Serial No. 639,931.

adapted to be released for the purpose of resetting these hands in the usual way.

The invention as disclosed herein is proposed as an improvement over the construction of device adapted for the same purpose above described and forming the subjectmatter of my U. S. Patent No. 1,373,467, dated April 6, 1921, and pending applica tion for U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,459,006, dated June 19, 1923.

The present invention is disclosed by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a watch, adapted to be fitted with the device, but with the trigger member removed.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view showing the safety device per se, and

Fig. 3 is a side elcvational view thereof.

Fig. 4C is a detail showing the stem and locking device.

Referring to the construction in further detail and wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the different views shown, 4: indicates a stop watch having the usual second and minute hands, and 5 represents the ordinar 1 starting and stopping device therefor; the. winding and resetting stem 6 has a knurled head 7 and 8 indicates the ordinary chain attaching link.

The safety device per se consists of a trigger like member pivotally mounted on the stem casing 11 and having a projecting and pointed end portion 13 adapted to be engaged within an aperture 141 formed in the winding stem 6 for the purpose of holding the latter in fixed position, as will be understood. The thumb portion 15 of the member 12 is slightly notched for convenient engagement by the thumb as shown.

In operation the device is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 when it is desired to prevent the accidental resetting of the second and minute hands of the watch, i. e., during the time that the foot ball is in play, and for the purpose of resetting the watch the device is moved to the position indicated in Fig. 2, which permits this to be done in the usual way.

The illustration shows a particular embodiment of the invention, though it is un derstood, of course, that the invention may be car "led out in other ways, and that therefore the present disclosure is to be considered in an illustrative sense only and not as a limiting one.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A stop watch having a winding and resetting stem provided with an aperture, and a pi'votally mounted member adapted to engage within the aperture to prevent accidental reset-ting operation of the stem, substantially as set forth.

2. A stop watch having a winding and resetting stem provided with an aperture, a trigger like member pivotally mounted on the watch easing having a portion adapted to engage within the said aperture to prevent aeeidential resetting operation of the stem, substantially as set forth 3. A stop watch havin a winding and resetting stem provided with an aperture, a trigger like member pivotally mounted on the watch easing having a portion adapted to engage Within the aperture to prevent accidental resetting o eration of the stem, and having a notchec portion to be engaged by the thumb, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY E. VON KERSBURG. 

